Radiopaque markers and medical devices comprising binary alloys of titanium

ABSTRACT

There is disclosed medical devices, such as stents, guidewires and embolic filters, comprising a binary alloy of titanium and one binary element selected from platinum, palladium, rhodium, and gold. There is also disclosed a radiopaque marker comprising the disclosed binary alloy, as well as medical devices having the radiopaque marker attached thereto. Methods of attaching the radiopaque marker to the medical devices, such as by welding, are also disclosure also disclosed.

This application claims priority to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/748,797, filed on May 15, 2007, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

The present disclosure relates to binary alloys of titanium that can be used as alternatives to linear elastic nitinol alloys. The present disclosure also relates to any product or medical device comprising such alloys, including those in which a material having a high elastic limit is desired. In addition, because of the high radiopaque properties associated with such alloys, the present invention also relates to radiopaque markers and medical devices, such as stents, guidewires, embolic protection devices, or other components of a stent delivery system, comprising such alloys. The present disclosure also relates to medical devices having the radiopaque markers attached thereto.

Stents are generally thin walled tubular-shaped devices composed of complex patterns of interconnecting struts which function to hold open a segment of a blood vessel or other body lumen such as a coronary artery. They also are suitable for supporting a dissected arterial lining or intimal flap that can occlude a vessel lumen.

Guidewires are used for advancing intraluminal devices to the desired location within a body lumen in angioplasty, stent delivery, atherectomy and other vascular procedures. A conventional guidewire usually comprises an elongated core member with one or more tapered sections near the distal end thereof and a flexible body such as a helical coil or a tubular body of polymeric material disposed about the distal portion of the core member. The flexible body may extend proximally to an intermediate portion of the guidewire.

Embolic protection devices serve to capture and remove the debris created by angioplasty, stent delivery, atherectomy and other vascular procedures. It prevents the debris from flowing downstream and blocking the artery. One type of embolic protection device is filter-based, which allows the blood in the artery to continue flowing while the filter traps the debris.

Traditional stent delivery systems comprise a guidewire, a stent-delivery catheter, a stent, and may include an embolic protection device. A stent is typically implanted using a catheter which is inserted at an easily accessible location and then advanced through the vasculature to the deployment site. The stent is initially maintained in a radially compressed or collapsed state to enable it to be maneuvered through the lumen. Once in position, the stent is deployed. In the case of self-expanding stents, deployment is achieved by the removal of a restraint, such as the retraction of a delivery sheath. In the case of balloon expandable stents, deployment is achieved by inflation of a dilatation balloon about which the stent is carried on a stent-delivery catheter.

Stents, guidewires, embolic protection devices, and other components in a stent delivery system can be constructed at least partially using a superelastic material, such as nickel-titanium alloys, also known as nitinol. An embolic filter made of nitinol is shown in, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,179,859 (Bates et al.), which is herein incorporated by reference. A guidewire made from nitinol is shown in, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,341,818 (Abrams), which is herein incorporated by reference.

In general, superelasticity implies that the material can undergo a large degree of reversible strain as compared to common steel. In a technical sense, the term “superelasticity” and sometimes “pseudoelasticity” refer to an isothermal transformation in nitinol. More specifically, it refers to stress inducing a martensitic phase from an austenitic phase at a temperature above the martensitic transformation temperature.

Nitinol alloys, for example, exhibit both superelasticity and the shape memory effect. The literature describes various processing techniques to enhance these valuable properties. These techniques include changing the relative amounts of nickel and titanium, alloying the nickel-titanium with other elements, heat treating the alloy, and mechanical processing of the alloy. Examples of such techniques include U.S. Pat. No. 4,310,354 (Fountain), which discloses processes for producing a shape memory nitinol alloy having a desired transition temperature; U.S. Pat. No. 6,106,642 (DiCarlo), which discloses a process for improving ductility of nitinol; U.S. Pat. No. 5,843,244 (Pelton), which discloses cold working and annealing a nitinol alloy to lower a transformation temperature; U.S. Publication No. US 2003/0120181A1, published Jun. 26, 2003, which discloses work-hardened pseudoelastic guide wires; U.S. Pat. No. 4,881,981 (Thoma et al.), which discloses a process for adjusting the physical and mechanical properties of a shape memory alloy member by increasing the internal stress level of the alloy by cold work and heat treatment; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,706,053 (Boylan et al.) which teaches adding a ternary element to a nickel-titanium alloy to enhance engineering properties suitable for an embolic filter.

Superelastic characteristics generally allow the metal stent to be deformed by collapsing the stent and creating stress which causes the superelastic material to reversibly change to the martensitic phase. Once the stress is released, the martensitic phase reverses back to austenitic phase. This release of stress such that the stent returns towards its original undeformed shape through isothermal transformation back to the austenitic phase is described as “self-expanding.”

Superelastic nitinol alloys exhibit very high reversible strain, typically around 7-10%. On a stress-strain plot of a superelastic alloy, stress stays relatively constant over a large range of strain. This behavior results in a plateau in the otherwise relatively linear stress-strain relationship. For certain nitinol alloys, however, the strain range where stress stays constant over is very short or non-existent. As a result, the stress and strain of the alloys exhibits a linear relationship without a plateau. Such nitinol alloys are referred to as linear elastic nitinol. Linear elastic nitinol still exhibits significant reversible strain (ca. 2-3%) and have shape memory characteristics.

The stress plateau in superelastic alloys is desirable when, for instance, it is desirable to minimize the amount of force exerted by a self-expanding stent against a vessel wall as it expands radially outward. In other instances, the stress plateau is less desirable. For example, it may be preferable to have a guidewire's distal core made of linear elastic nitinol so that the guidewire provides bend support to an overlying balloon catheter. A guidewire with a linear elastic core may also transmit a higher torsional load along its length in comparison with a guidewire having a superelastic alloy distal core.

When selecting a material for making a medical device, several properties are considered, First, yield stress (YS) is the stress value at which the relationship between the stress and strain are no longer linear and permanent deformation occurs. Elastic modulus (E) is the relationship between the applied stress and a material's exhibited strain, and is expressed as the slope of the initial, linear portion of a stress-strain plot. Elastic strain limit is the amount of strain that a material can withstand without exhibiting permanent deformation upon unloading. In this disclosure, a material's elastic strain limit is defined as its yield stress divided by its elastic modulus (YS/E). Consequently, a material's elastic strain limit can be increased by raising its yield stress and/or reducing its elastic modulus. For metallic materials, elastic modulus is generally an invariant property, which is not significantly influenced by processing history, while yield stress is very dependent on the prior thermal-mechanical processing of the material. Cold work is known to increase the yield stress of a metal.

Linear elastic nitinol alloys have inherently low elastic modulus while in its martensitic phase (ca. 8 Msi in comparison with ca. 30 Msi for 304 stainless steel). However, martensitic binary nitinol in the annealed condition typically has a low yield stress. As a result, it typically has a very low elastic strain limit and is not suitable for making medical devices which require high elastic limit, such as a distal core or shaping ribbon for a guidewire, or a filter basket of an embolic protection device. Imparting an appropriate amount of cold work on the martensitic binary nitinol can increases its yield stress and elastic strain limit.

Self-expanding, nickel-titanium stents have long been useful and valuable to the medical field. But a distinct disadvantage with self-expanding nickel-titanium stents is the fact that they are not sufficiently radiopaque.

An intracorporeal device and its delivery system should be radiopaque or fluoroscopically visible. For instance, accurate stent placement requires real time visualization to allow the physician to track the delivery catheter through the patient's vasculature and precisely place the stent at the site of a lesion. This is typically accomplished by fluoroscopy or similar x-ray visualization procedures. For a device to be fluoroscopically visible it must be more absorptive of x-rays than the surrounding tissue. Good radiopacity is therefore a useful feature for self-expanding nickel-titanium stents to have.

Radiopacity can be improved by increasing the strut thickness of the nickel-titanium stent. But increasing strut thickness detrimentally affects the flexibility of the stent, which is a quality necessary for ease of delivery. Another complication is that radiopacity and radial force vary with strut thickness.

Radiopacity can also be improved through coating processes such as sputtering, plating, or co-drawing gold or similar heavy metals onto the stent. These processes, however, create complications such as material compatibility, galvanic corrosion, high manufacturing cost, coating adhesion or delamination, biocompatibility, loss of coating integrity following collapse and deployment of the stent. Further, they may retard the dimensional recovery of a self expanding stent during deployment and potentially increase the delivery profile of the crimped stent.

In addition, radiopacity can be improved by alloy addition, such as by alloying nickel-titanium with a ternary element. This approach, however, typically requires one to strike a balance between achieving sufficient degree of radiopacity and maintaining the desirable superelastic engineering properties typical of a binary nickel-titanium.

One method for increasing fluoroscopic visibility is the physical attachment of radiopaque markers to the intracorporeal device and its delivery system. The attachment can be accomplished by various techniques, such as welding. It is well known, however, that nitinol can be difficult to weld to another metal or alloy since the nickel or titanium in nitinol will typically combine with one or more elements in the other material to product intermetallic compounds. These intermetallic compounds usually cause cracking during cooling and have an adverse impact on weld joint ductility.

What is needed therefore is a radiopaque marker that is compatible with materials in the medical devices mentioned above and their delivery systems. Such a marker should be sufficiently radiopaque to be readily visible using fluoroscopy procedures, and also can be readily attached to the medical device and its delivery system.

Another approach is to make the medical devices using alloys other than nitinol that have a high elastic strain limit, in addition to beneficial radiopaque properties, which makes the devices themselves visible using fluoroscopy procedures. The challenge is to identify or develop a radiopaque alloy with shape memory characteristics that can be used in place of nitinol in medical devices.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present disclosure is generally directed to binary alloys of titanium and one binary element chosen from platinum, palladium, rhodium, and gold. In one embodiment, there is disclosed a radiopaque marker comprising such alloys. The disclosure is also directed to a medical device, such as a stent, guidewire, or embolic filter device, having the radiopaque marker attached thereto. In one embodiment, the radiopaque marker is attached to the medical device by welding, such as fusion welding, wherein one or both components is melted.

Another aspect of the present disclosure is directed to a stent delivery system comprising an expandable or self-expanding section, and a radiopaque marker comprising a binary alloy of titanium and one element chosen from platinum, palladium, rhodium, and gold integrally attached to the expandable or self-expanding section.

There is also disclosed a method of fabricating a medical device comprising a radiopaque marker. In one embodiment, the method comprises welding to an expandable or self-expanding section of a medical device, such as by fusion welding, a radiopaque marker described herein.

The present disclosure is also directed to medical devices having a high elastic limit or yield stress comprised of the binary alloys disclosed herein, as well as a high radiopacity are desirable. For example, in one embodiment such medical devices comprises a binary alloy of titanium and one binary element chosen from platinum, palladium, and gold. Non-limiting examples of such medical devices include a stent delivery system comprising a guidewire, a stent-delivery catheter, a stent, or an embolic protection device.

Still another aspect of the present disclosure is directed to a method of improving the radiopacity and corrosion resistance of a medical device by making the medical device or a component of it using a binary alloy of titanium with the other binary element selected from platinum, palladium, or gold.

Various embodiments of the present disclosure can be used in medical devices used in arteries, veins, and other body vessels. It is to be understood that the present invention is not limited by the embodiments described herein. Other features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when taken alone or in conjunction with the accompanying exemplary drawing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 depicts a stent expanded within the artery, so that the stent makes intimate contact with the arterial wall.

FIG. 2 depicts a stent according to one embodiment of the present disclosure showing the position of radiopaque markers attached thereto.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present disclosure is generally directed to titanium containing binary alloys that can be used in a wide variety of non-medical and medical applications. While the following discussion exemplifies medical device applications, the disclosure is not so limited. Rather, it is appreciated that the disclosure broadly encompasses any application that could utilize the characteristics of radiopacity, weldability, and/or the high elastic strain limit of the resulting alloy. Therefore, while the invention described below is directed to the binary, radiopaque alloy attached to a medical device, or medical devices having components made of such alloys, it is understood that the present invention is applicable to other medical devices usable in a body lumen or outside a body lumen, or more generally to non-medical devices.

Commercially available materials used in medical devices typically comprise superelastic alloys. While such alloys have been extremely successful in applications that exploit their self-expanding properties, such as stents and embolic filtering devices, they typically have poor radiopacity because they comprise low amounts of radiopaque elements.

The present invention improves on existing medical devices by utilizing the heretofore unappreciated properties of certain binary alloys of titanium and an element selected from platinum, palladium, rhodium, and gold as a marker on such devices. For example, medical devices, such as stents having the inventive alloys attached thereto, are sufficiently radiopaque to be readily visualized under fluoroscopy during a stent placement procedure, yet are not so radiopaque as to interfere with the visualization of surrounding body tissue or stent lumen. In addition, since the stent comprises a radiopaque material welded thereto, the inventive stent overcomes the drawbacks associated with traditional composite or plated stents, such as retarded deployment and separation of the radiopaque layer.

The stent of the present invention can have virtually any configuration that is compatible with the body lumen in which it is implanted. Typically stents are composed of an intricate geometric pattern of cylindrical rings and connecting links. Non-limiting examples of intravascular stents can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 5,292,331 (Boneau); U.S. Pat. No. 4,580,568 (Gianturco); U.S. Pat. No. 4,856,516 (Hillstead); U.S. Pat. No. 5,092,877 (Pinchuk); and U.S. Pat. No. 5,514,154 (Lau et al.), which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

These elements are commonly referred to as struts. Generally, the struts are arranged in patterns which are designed to contact the lumen walls of a vessel and to maintain patency of the vessel thereby. A myriad of strut patterns are known in the art for achieving particular design goals. A few of the more important design characteristics of stents are radial or hoop strength, expansion ratio, coverage area and longitudinal flexibility. One strut pattern may be selected over another in an effort to optimize those parameters that are of importance for a particular application.

Regardless of the specific application, with most lesion treatment procedures, the treated artery suffers a degree of trauma and in a certain percentage of cases may abruptly collapse or may slowly narrow over a period of time due to neointimal hyperplasia which is referred to as restenosis. To prevent either of these conditions, the treated artery is often fitted with a prosthetic device, such as the stent 10, shown in FIG. 1 of the present invention.

The stent provides radial support for the treated vessel and thereby prevents collapse of the vessel 24 and further provides scaffolding to prevent plaque prolapse within the lumen. The stent may also be used to repair an arterial dissection, or an intimal flap, both of which are commonly found in the coronary arteries, peripheral arteries and other vessels. In order to perform its function, the stent must be accurately placed across the lesion site.

Therefore, it is desirable that the stent be sufficiently radiopaque so that the physician can visually locate the stent under fluoroscopy during the implantation procedure. However, it is equally important that the stent not be too radiopaque. If the stent is overly radiopaque then the physician's view of the lumen is compromised. This makes assessment of subsequent restenosis difficult. In cases where the balloon markers are very close to the stent, the stent can blend in with the overly radiopaque markers. Without precise visualization of the stent ends, accurate placement of the stent in a lesion, particularly in the case of an ostial lesion, can be compromised.

In a typical stent placement procedure, a guiding catheter is percutaneously introduced into the cardiovascular system of a patient through the femoral arteries by means of a conventional technique, such as a Seldinger technique, and advanced within a patient's vascular system until the distal end of the guiding catheter is positioned at a point proximal to the lesion site. A guidewire and the stent-delivery catheter of the rapid exchange type are introduced through the guiding catheter with the guidewire sliding within the stent-delivery catheter. The guidewire is first advanced out of the guiding catheter into the arterial vessel and is directed across the arterial lesion. The stent-delivery catheter is subsequently advanced over the previously advanced guidewire until the stent is properly positioned across the lesion.

Referring again to FIG. 1, once in position, the dilatation balloon 16 is inflated to a predetermined size to radially expand the stent 10 against the inside of the artery wall and thereby implant the stent within the lumen 22 of the artery. The balloon is then deflated to a small profile so that the stent-delivery catheter may be withdrawn from the patient's vasculature and blood flow is resumed through the artery.

Since the stent 10 is formed from an elongated tubular member, the rings and links of the stent are relatively flat in transverse cross-section, thus after implantation into the artery 24, minimal interference with blood flow occurs.

Eventually the stent becomes covered with endothelial cell growth which further minimizes blood flow interference. As should be appreciated by those skilled in the art, while the above-described procedure is typical, it is not the only method used in placing stents.

Typically, the stent 10 is laser cut from a solid tube. Thus, the stent does not possess discrete individual components. However, for the purposes of description it is beneficial to refer to the exemplary embodiment of the stent as being composed of cylindrical rings and connecting links.

In order to achieve the desirable radiopaque properties, the present invention uses binary alloy markers welded onto the medical devices that assist the physician to visually locate the stent under fluoroscopy during any invasive procedure.

The Inventors have discovered that binary alloys of titanium are metallurgically compatible when welded to either binary nitinol or a ternary nitinol that contains minor amounts of ternary elements, such as up to 10 atomic percent, including the range of 7-8 atomic percent. In addition to the improved weldable properties associated with metallurgical compatibility, the enhanced radiopaque properties make the inventive alloy ideal as a weldable radiopaque marker for medical devices. In addition, the disclosed alloys provides radiopaque material having a high elastic strain limit, such as one that is comparable to that of linear elastic nitinol.

The compatibility of the titanium based binary alloys described herein lies in the fact that the binary elements described are direct substitutes for nickel within the nitinol crystal structure. Furthermore, such replacement can occur at any amount up to complete substitution. Evidence of this phenomenon is show in the phase diagrams for some known binary alloys, such as nickel-platinum, nickel-titanium, titanium-platinum, and other binary alloys.

For example, as shown in “Binary Alloy Phase Diagrams”, American Society for Metals, 1986, which is incorporated by reference herein, the phase diagram for the binary nickel-platinum alloy reveals that mixtures of nickel and platinum will combine to form one solid solution upon solidification, regardless of the composition. This is because nickel and platinum atoms are sufficiently alike, such as in atomic radius and electronegativity, that there are no mixture ratios that correspond to intermediate compounds or phases.

In contrast, the phase diagram for the binary nickel-titanium alloy reveals a variety of phases and compounds, depending on the particular composition. This is because Ni and Ti atoms are not nearly as similar as nickel and platinum in atomic radius and electronegativity. One type of nitinol is a binary alloy of nickel and titanium which contains approximately 50% nickel and 50% titanium, and is unusual in that it possesses a reversible martensitic transformation temperature that is responsible for shape memory and superelastic behavior. In other words, above the martensitic transformation temperature without external load, binary nitinol exists in the austenitic state. Its overall structure is the B2 crystal lattice, the so called cesium chloride structure. In this structure each Ni atom is positioned such that all of its nearest neighbors are titanium atoms and vice versa.

The relatively simple crystal structure and a large number of slip systems allow binary nitinol to be easily deformed and ductile. Depending upon the composition of the alloy, from about 45% nickel upward to about 55% nickel, the transformation temperature boundary of this phase may be lowered.

Similarly, titanium-platinum binary alloys at near equiatomic compositions exist in a phase which has lattice structure similar to nitinol at above its martensitic transformation temperature. At room temperature, the near equiatomic phase is relatively soft and workable. For instance, Ti50Pt50 has a hardness of about 250 HV and is cold rollable to approximately 50% reduction in thickness without edge cracking. The phase boundary is at about 45 and 56% of titanium, corresponding to compositions varying from Ti45Pt55 to Ti56Pt44.

As previously stated, nickel and platinum atoms are sufficiently alike in atomic radius and electronegativity such that the nickel-platinum alloy comprises a solid solution without intermediate phases or compounds. Other metals that are able to form solid solution with Ni without intermediate phases or compounds include palladium, rhodium, and gold. Furthermore, platinum, palladium, rhodium, and gold are significantly more radiopaque than nickel and can be used in making radiopaque alloy markers according to the present invention.

The characteristics of nickel-platinum, nickel-titanium, titanium-platinum binary alloys discussed above indicate that, as long as titanium is approximately 50%, platinum may replace nickel in a ternary nickel-titanium-platinum alloy up to full substitution and the resulting lattice structure will maintain the same B2 structure. Furthermore, any such ternary composition, designated as Ti50[Ni, Pt]50, will behave in a ductile manner like the binary Ti50Ni50 and Ti50Pt50 phases.

In one embodiment, a binary Ti50Ni50 alloy is autogenously welded to a Ti50Pt50 alloy marker. As the molten weld pool conforms to the stoichiometry of Ti50[Ni, Pt]50, the resulting weld is essentially free of undesirable intermetallic compounds. Thus the welded product retains good ductility.

Similarly, the Ti50Pt50 alloy marker can form a weld free of intermetallic compounds to any ternary titanium-nickel-platinum alloy that has a composition at or near Ti50[Ni, Pt]50. For example, in another embodiment, the radiopaque marker described herein may be welded to a ternary titanium nickel alloy comprising from 7-8 atomic % of platinum, such as Ti50Ni42.5Pt7.5.

By contrast, if a pure platinum marker is welded to a binary nickel-titanium alloy and both components experienced some degree of melting, then the bulk composition of the molten weld pool would generally not maintain Ti50[Ni, Pt]50 stoichiometry. The solidified weld zone may contain a variety of intermetallic compositions, most of which do not have a lattice structure similar to Ni50Ti50 or Ti50Pt50. Such a weld could have poor ductility and may tend to crack.

FIG. 2 illustrates a stent showing the inventive radiopaque markers attached thereto. In this non-limiting embodiment, the inventive alloy may be used as proximal (30) and distal (45) markers that are welded, such as by fusion welding, to both ends of the stent. In addition or in the alternative, small, teardrop-shaped markers, which have been laser cut from the inventive binary alloy or have been formed by other means, can be welded as stent markers (35, 40) to either end of the stent.

As previously stated, the inventive alloys are metallurgically compatible with the underlying nitinol substrate (whether binary or ternary), thus allowing the radiopaque markers to be fusion welded in place. As a result, the weld joint of a medical device made according to the present invention avoids the brittle intermetallic compounds and subsequent potential cracking typically associated with thermal or mechanical cycling of traditional markers on medical devices.

One embodiment of the present invention is a radiopaque marker that comprises a binary titanium-platinum alloy. The atomic percent of titanium in the alloy may range from 45 to 56, such as from 49 to 51, with the balance comprising platinum.

In another embodiment, the binary alloy comprises an equiatomic amount of titanium and platinum, e.g., Ti50Pt50. The radiopaque marker is integrally attached to a superelastic alloy, such as by a weld between the radiopaque marker and a superelastic alloy.

In other embodiments of the present invention, the superelastic alloy comprises a binary nickel-titanium alloy, or a ternary alloy of nickel and titanium, and comprising at least one ternary element chosen from platinum, palladium, gold and rhodium.

The superelastic alloy according to other embodiments can comprise a ternary alloy of nickel, titanium, and platinum, and may be expandable or self-expandable.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the ternary alloy comprises 49 to 51 atomic percent titanium, 7 to 8 atomic percent platinum, with the remainder comprising nickel.

The present disclosure is also directed to a medical device that comprises a radiopaque marker having a binary titanium-platinum alloy as described above. The medical device may include a stent, a guidewire, or an embolic protection device. The radiopaque marker can be integrally attached to or welded to the stent, the guidewire, or the embolic protection device.

One non-limiting embodiment of the present disclosure is directed to a stent delivery system comprising an expandable or self-expanding section, and a radiopaque marker integrally attached to the expandable or self-expanding section. The radiopaque marker comprises the previously described binary alloy of titanium, which includes one binary element selected from platinum, palladium, rhodium, and gold. The titanium may be present in the radiopaque marker in an amount ranging from 45 to 56 atomic percent, such as from 49 to 51 atomic percent, or even about 50 atomic percent, with the balance comprising a binary element of platinum, palladium, rhodium, or gold.

In the above mentioned stent delivery system the radiopaque marker can be integrally attached to the expandable or self-expanding section by a weld. The expandable or self-expanding section may comprise a binary nickel-titanium alloy or a ternary alloy of nickel and titanium. The ternary alloy comprises at least one ternary element chosen from platinum, palladium, gold and rhodium.

The above-mentioned stent delivery system may further comprise a guidewire. In one embodiment, the guidewire may also have the radiopaque marker attached thereto.

The invention further provides a method of fabricating a medical device comprising a radiopaque marker. The method comprises welding to an expandable or self-expanding section, a radiopaque marker comprising a binary alloy of titanium and one binary element selected from platinum, palladium, rhodium, and gold.

As stated, fluoroscopy, utilizing x-rays, is by far the most popular imaging method used to visualize medical devices, such as stents. This is the case both during an intervention (delivering a stent) and afterwards in a more diagnostic mode. The present invention stent also is visible under magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), which works completely differently from that of fluoroscopy. Thus, a medical device comprising the inventive markers will show up in an MRI image in a fundamentally different way than under x-ray, primarily as an imaging artifact associated with the magnetic susceptibility and electrical conductivity of the inventive markers.

Any metal that has a magnetic susceptibility different from that of tissue will generate a susceptibility artifact. The magnitude of the artifact depends on how much the susceptibility differs from that of tissue. These artifacts usually are signal voids or dark spots on the image. Electrically conductive metals in an MRI scanner can also have electrical currents induced in them by the radio frequency pulses. For stents, this can lead to the stent shielding the lumen from the radio frequency excitation signal.

The medical devices of the present disclosure may be chosen from a stent, a guidewire, or an embolic protection device. The method comprises welding an above-mentioned radiopaque marker to an expandable or self-expanding section. The welding may comprise fusion welding. The expandable or self-expanding section may comprise a binary nickel-titanium alloy or ternary alloy of nickel and titanium. The ternary alloy comprises at least one ternary element chosen from platinum, palladium, gold and rhodium. In one exemplary embodiment, the ternary alloy may comprise 49 to 51 atomic percent titanium, 7 to 8 atomic percent platinum, the remainder nickel. Other exemplary embodiments are contemplated wherein the percentages of the alloy may vary as well as the ternary element.

In addition to making radiopaque markers, the inventive binary alloys, which comprise titanium and another element chosen from palladium, platinum, and gold, can also be used to make medical devices or components thereof. Components made of TiPt, TiPd, and TiAu are particularly suitable as substitute for linear elastic nitinol.

All three equiatomic alloys Ti50Pt50, Ti50Pd50, and Ti50Au50 are similar to equiatomic nitinol (Ti50Pd50) in that all these alloys possess the same B2 crystal structure at elevated temperatures and the same B19 crystal structure at low temperatures. The former is referred to as the austenitic phase and the latter the martensitic phase. The temperature range over which nitinol will spontaneously transform from phase to the other depends upon the composition, i.e., the precise nickel/titanium ratio, and the process history of the alloy. In binary nitinol alloys, the transformation from a martensitic phase to an austenitic phase can occur above, below, or at room temperature.

In linear elastic nitinol, the crystal structure is martensitic at room temperature. One of the ways to attain this characteristics is to begin with an annealed alloy that is naturally martensitic at room temperature, i.e., its transformation temperature is above room temperature, and impart an appropriate amount of cold work to increase its yield stress as needed. If an alloy is austenitic at room temperature, its natural transformation temperature is below room temperature. Imparting cold work on this alloy can stress-induce the martensitic structure at room temperature while continued cold work will increase its yield stress.

The transformation temperature of Ti50Pt50, Ti50Pd50, and Ti50Au50 are all substantially above room temperature, so they are naturally martensitic at room temperature. These alloys can be subject to suitable amounts of cold work, such as wire drawing, tube drawing, rolling or other means, to increase their yield stress. The resulting alloys may have a yield stress in the range of 200,000 psi to 250,000 psi and an elastic strain limit ranging from 1% to 3% [8 to 16 Msi, where 1 Msi=106 psi].

As discussed in the previous sections, TiPt, TiPd, and TiAu with approximately 45-55 atomic percent of Ti and the other binary element as the balance are expected to have similar properties as nitinol. Further, since platinum, palladium, and gold are noble metals, their alloys with Ti are more corrosion resistant than nitinol.

Therefore, TiPt, TiPd, and TiAu can be made to have characteristics that are highly similar to that of linear elastic nitinol, with the added benefits of high radiopacity and high corrosion resistance. This makes TiPt, TiPd, and TiAu particularly attractive alternatives for linear elastic nitinol for the purpose of making medical devices.

In one embodiment of the invention, the medical devices or components thereof that can be made with TiPt, TiPd, or TiAu include a self-expanding or self-expandable stent, a filter basket in an embolic protection device, a distal core of a guidewire, and a shaping ribbon in a guidewire. The resulting products will be readily visible using fluoroscopy procedures, as well as having a better corrosion resistance than that of nitinol.

In another embodiment of the invention, a stent delivery system having a guidewire, a stent-delivery catheter, a stent, and optionally an embolic protection device can have one or more components made of TiPt, TiPd, or TiAu components.

One can readily appreciate that, to improve the radiopacity and/or corrosion resistance of a medical device, one can have the medical devices or components thereof made of one or more of the radiopaque binary TiPt, TiPd, TiAu,

Other than in the operating example, or where otherwise indicated, all numbers expressing quantities of ingredients, reaction conditions, and so forth used in the specification and claims are to be understood as being modified in all instances by the term “about.” Accordingly, unless indicated to the contrary, the numerical parameters set forth in the following specification and attached claims are approximations that may vary depending upon the desired properties sought to be obtained by the present invention. At the very least, and not as an attempt to limit the application of the doctrine of equivalents to the scope of the claims, each numerical parameter should be construed in light of the number of significant digits and ordinary rounding approaches.

Further modifications and improvements may additionally be made to the device and method disclosed herein without departing from the scope of the present invention. Accordingly, it is not intended that the invention be limited, except as by the appended claims. 

1. A radiopaque marker comprising a binary alloy of titanium and one binary element selected from platinum, palladium, rhodium, and gold.
 2. The radiopaque marker of claim 1, wherein titanium is present in an amount ranging from 45 to 55 atomic percent, with the balance comprising said binary element.
 3. The radiopaque marker of claim 2, wherein titanium is present in an amount ranging from 49 to 51 atomic percent, with the balance comprising said binary element.
 4. The radiopaque marker of claim 1, wherein the binary titanium alloy comprises equiatomic binary alloys chosen from Ti50Pt50, Ti50Pd50, Ti50Rh50, and Ti50Au50.
 5. The radiopaque marker of claim 1, which is integrally attached to a superelastic alloy.
 6. The radiopaque marker of claim 5, wherein said superelastic alloy comprises a binary nickel-titanium alloy or a ternary alloy containing nickel and titanium.
 7. The radiopaque marker of claim 6, wherein said ternary alloy containing nickel and titanium comprises at least one ternary element chosen from platinum, palladium, gold and rhodium.
 8. The radiopaque marker of claim 5, which comprises a weld between said radiopaque marker and said superelastic alloy.
 9. The radiopaque marker of claim 5, wherein said superelastic alloy is expandable or self-expandable.
 10. The radiopaque marker of claim 9, wherein the superelastic alloy is a ternary alloy of nickel, titanium, and platinum.
 11. The radiopaque marker of claim 10, wherein the ternary alloy comprises 49 to 51 atomic percent titanium, 7 to 8 atomic percent platinum, the remainder comprising nickel.
 12. A medical device comprising a radiopaque marker, said radiopaque marker comprising a binary alloy of titanium and one binary element selected from platinum, palladium, rhodium, and gold.
 13. The medical device of claim 12, wherein titanium is present in said radiopaque marker in an amount ranging from 45 to 55 atomic percent, with the balance comprising said binary element.
 14. The medical device of claim 13, wherein titanium is present in an amount ranging from 49 to 51 atomic percent, with the balance comprising said binary element.
 15. The medical device of claim 14, wherein the binary titanium alloy comprises equiatomic binary alloys chosen from Ti50Pt50, Ti50Pd50, Ti50Rh50, and Ti50Au50.
 16. The medical device of claim 12, wherein said radiopaque marker is integrally attached to a superelastic alloy.
 17. The medical device of claim 16, wherein said superelastic alloy comprises a binary nickel-titanium alloy or a ternary alloy of nickel and titanium.
 18. The medical device of claim 17, wherein said ternary alloy of nickel and titanium comprises at least one ternary element chosen from platinum, palladium, gold and rhodium.
 19. The medical device of claim 16, which comprises a weld between said radiopaque marker and said superelastic alloy for integrally attaching said radiopaque marker and said superelastic alloy.
 20. The medical device of claim 16, wherein said superelastic alloy is expandable or self-expandable.
 21. The medical device of claim 18, wherein the superelastic alloy is a ternary alloy of nickel, titanium, and platinum.
 22. The medical device of claim 21, wherein the ternary alloy comprises 49 to 51 atomic percent titanium, 7 to 8 atomic percent platinum, the remainder comprising nickel.
 23. The medical device of claim 12, which is a stent, guidewire, or embolic protection device.
 24. A stent delivery system comprising: an expandable or self-expanding section; and a radiopaque marker integrally attached to said expandable or self-expanding section, wherein said radiopaque marker comprises a binary alloy of titanium and one binary element selected from platinum, palladium, rhodium, and gold.
 25. The stent delivery system of claim 24, wherein titanium is present in said radiopaque marker in an amount ranging from 45 to 55 atomic percent, with the balance comprising said binary element.
 26. The stent delivery system of claim 25, wherein titanium is present in an amount ranging from 49 to 51 atomic percent, with the balance comprising said binary element.
 27. The stent delivery system of claim 26, wherein the binary titanium alloy comprises equiatomic binary alloys chosen from Ti50Pt50, Ti50Pd50, Ti50Rh50, and Ti50Au50.
 28. The stent delivery system of claim 24, wherein said radiopaque marker is integrally attached to said expandable or self-expanding section by a weld.
 29. The stent delivery system of claim 24, wherein said expandable or self-expanding section comprises a binary nickel-titanium alloy or a ternary alloy of nickel and titanium.
 30. The stent delivery system of claim 29, wherein said ternary alloy of nickel and titanium comprises at least one ternary element chosen from platinum, palladium, gold and rhodium.
 31. The stent delivery system of claim 24, which comprises a weld between said radiopaque marker and said superelastic alloy for integrally attaching said radiopaque marker and said superelastic alloy.
 32. The stent delivery system of claim 24, wherein said ternary alloy of nickel and titanium comprises platinum.
 33. The stent delivery system of claim 32, wherein the ternary alloy comprises 49 to 51 atomic percent titanium, 7 to 8 atomic percent platinum, the remainder comprising nickel.
 34. The stent delivery system of claim 24, further comprising a guidewire.
 35. The stent delivery system of claim 34, wherein said guidewire has said radiopaque marker attached thereto.
 36. A method of fabricating a medical device comprising a radiopaque marker, said method comprising: welding to an expandable or self-expanding section, a radiopaque marker comprising a binary alloy of titanium and one binary element selected from platinum, palladium, rhodium, and gold.
 37. The method of claim 36, wherein titanium is present in said radiopaque marker in an amount ranging from 45 to 55 atomic percent, with the balance comprising said binary element.
 38. The method of claim 37, wherein titanium is present in an amount ranging from 49 to 51 atomic percent, with the balance comprising said binary element.
 39. The method of claim 38, wherein the binary titanium alloy comprises equiatomic binary alloys chosen from Ti50Pt50, Ti50Pd50, Ti50Rh50, and Ti50Au50.
 40. The method of claim 36, wherein said welding comprises fusion welding.
 41. The method of claim 36, wherein said expandable or self-expanding section comprises a binary of nickel-titanium or a ternary alloy of nickel and titanium.
 42. The method of claim 41, wherein said ternary alloy of nickel and titanium comprises at least one ternary element chosen from platinum, palladium, gold and rhodium.
 43. The method of claim 42, wherein said ternary alloy of nickel and titanium comprises platinum.
 44. The method of claim 43, wherein the ternary alloy comprises 49 to 51 atomic percent titanium, 7 to 8 atomic percent platinum, the remainder comprising nickel.
 45. The method of claim 36, wherein said medical device is chosen from a stent, guidewire, or embolic protection device.
 46. A medical device comprising a component made of a binary alloy of titanium and one binary element selected from platinum, palladium, and gold.
 47. The medical device of claim 46, wherein the component is selected from the group consisting of a stent, an embolic protection device, and a guidewire.
 48. The medical device of claim 47, wherein the binary alloy comprises the distal core of a guidewire, a shaping ribbon of a guidewire, or both.
 49. The medical device of claim 46, wherein the binary titanium alloy comprises 45 to 55 atomic percent of titanium, with the balance comprising said binary element.
 50. The medical device of claim 49, wherein the binary titanium alloy comprises 49 to 51 atomic percent of titanium, with the balance comprising said binary element.
 51. The medical device of claim 46, wherein the binary titanium alloy comprises equiatomic binary alloys chosen from Ti50Pt50, Ti50Pd50, and Ti50Au50. 